Joe Biden says he told Obama not to endorse after 'brother’ stops short of backing him in 2020 race

President Barack Obama laughs with Vice President Joe Biden during a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington in 2017. (Susan Walsh/AP)

No pressure, Barack.

Joe Biden insisted that he told President Obama not to endorse him to avoid gaming the Democratic race to take on Donald Trump.

Advertisement

“I asked President Obama not to endorse,” Biden said of his former boss. “Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits.”

Biden spoke out during a walking tour of his old stomping grounds in Wilmington, Delaware. Hours earlier, Obama heaped praise on his former sidekick joined the 2020 race.

“President Obama has long said that selecting Joe Biden as his running mate in 2008 was one of the best decisions he ever made,” Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill told Politico. “He relied on the Vice President’s knowledge, insight and judgment, throughout both campaigns and the entire presidency. The two forged a special bond over the last 10 years and remain close today.”

The former president remains wildly popular with the Democratic base and his nod would be a game-changer if he chooses to back any candidate.

Related Gallery

Democratic candidates on the road to 2020

Biden has sought to wrap himself in Obama’s mantle in an effort to solidify support among black voters, who revere Obama as the first black president.

It remains to be seen if Biden can reassemble Obama’s potent coalition of African Americans, other minorities and progressive white voters. He also boasts an ability to connect with working class whites in the Rust Belt, a key to Obama’s two presidential wins.